North Korea denounces Japan-US-South Korea joint drills as ”aggressive provocation”... announces ”strong response”

North Korea has strongly condemned the joint Japan-US-South Korea aerial drills, in which US B-52H strategic bombers participated, calling them "military provocations of an aggressive nature." North Korea has said it viewed the drills as an attempt to accelerate military cooperation among the three countries.
In a statement released by the Korean Central News Agency on the 13th, the Director General of the Policy Office of the North Korean Ministry of National Defense stated, "We are determined to take appropriate measures to combat the hostile relations between the United States, Japan, and South Korea."
"We express serious concern over the United States' aggressive and aggressive actions toward the Korean Peninsula and strongly warn of the serious negative impact they will have on the regional situation," he said.
"The number of attacks reached an all-time high," he said, denouncing the move as a "continuous threat to the security environment of our nation." In particular, he said, "The trilateral military cooperation between the United States, Japan, and South Korea has evolved into a more aggressive one.
He cited the recent Japan-US-ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff meeting, the deployment of US strategic assets to US military bases in Japan and South Korea, and the deployment of B-52Hs on the Korean Peninsula.
"Only possessing actual force is a realistic way to curb the US's 'peace through strength' strategy and neutralize the military action plans of the three countries," he said.
North Korea said it would not tolerate provocative military actions such as joint military exercises that have a clear aggressive nature.
"It is our sovereign right to take reflexive measures in response to any action that may affect the security environment of the nation," he said, hinting at the possibility of additional military measures.
"We will not tolerate any such actions and will defend our national sovereignty and security interests through practical countermeasures," it said. Prior to this, on the 11th, the three countries of Japan, the United States and South Korea conducted a joint drill with a B-52H fighter jet in international waters south of Cheju Island.
The joint air exercise was conducted with the participation of approximately 10,000 US bombers. This was the first time that the B-52H has been deployed to the Korean Peninsula this year, and was part of the US's implementation of its extended deterrence commitment to North Korea.